Concrete forming systems are known. Concrete has various advantages in that it has a proven record for strength, durability, and cost effectiveness for a variety of applications including, for example, floors. Concrete floors are found in a variety of residential and commercial settings. Interior concrete is often covered with carpet or other flooring materials. Concrete can also be decorated or treated to create a variety of hues and textures.
Likewise, flooring systems are also known. Often, a flooring system is composed of a combination of girders, joists, sub-flooring, and finished flooring that may be made up of a variety of substances, such as concrete, steel, or wood. In common flooring systems, joists are laid perpendicular to the girders and sub-flooring is attached to the joists. The girders are often used to support the joists and are typically found in framing systems where there are no interior bearing walls or where the span between bearing walls is to great for the joists. The girder may be supported by posts or columns made of wood or steel that often extend from the floor below.
Outer barriers, such as walls and other formworks or structures are typically used to retain the concrete floor slab in location as the concrete is poured. In order to construct a floor or ceiling, a supporting material may be used to support the concrete which is poured thereon. In building construction, it is also common to include a web or mesh of reinforcing material such as rebar between the form members prior to adding the concrete, which is then engulfed by the concrete to provide strength to the hardened concrete structure along the weak axis of the solidified concrete. Typically, a concrete floor slab must be provided on a uniform level surface, must provide sufficient strength and stability, must avoid dampness, must provide a certain degree of thermal insulation, and must be resistant to fire. A common arrangement for a concrete floor slab includes a consolidated hardcore that supports sand blinding covered by a damp proof membrane. On top of the membrane, insulation may be provided upon which the concrete slab and subsequently the floor screed may be added. In some instances in building construction, a floor system may include a concrete floor slab that is supported by reinforced concrete beams. Alternatively, wooden beam forms with wooden or metal decks spanning the beam forms may often be used. In some instances, corrugated metal deck members having alternating ribs and valleys and an overlying layer of concrete have been used to prepare floors.
In preparing multi-story concrete buildings, means for supporting concrete formwork during the construction of the building must be provided. These systems often employ fixed or movable scaffolding supported from the floor below, upon which the formwork for the next floor is placed. Steel reinforcements, such as rebar or other steel fibers, may be added to the concrete to further strengthen the floor slab.
The foregoing systems, however, suffer drawbacks. These structures often comprise numerous components, components that must be used and discarded, and components which are difficult to assemble, making assembly of the complete structure both time consuming and costly. Moreover, concrete floor forming systems often-times lack strength to support a significant load or resist stresses thereon.
In view of the foregoing, a need exists for a formwork flooring system which is both easy to assemble and has significant structural strength.